Future Tense
by LiterateSamwise
Summary: Chris wasn't the only one from the future. Begins DIRECTLY after the season finale.
1. Chapter One

Title: Future Tense  
  
Author: Tatt Skywalker Series: Charmed - Season Six Rating: PG-14 Disclaimer: ::stands up and clears throat:: Uh... Hi. My name is Tatt and I'm a fanfic-aholic. I don't, uh, own any of the, uh, shows or characters that I, uh, write about. So, uh, please - Don't Sue Me.  
  
A/N: This begins *right* after the season finale. Like... *right* after. I don't remember Darryl's wife's name... if they even said... I missed that part. ::sigh:: So, I've named her Marrisa. M'kay? On with the fic.  
Future Tense by Tatt Skywalker  
Chapter One.  
  
The rain fell in torents. Something had happened; something had gone wrong. Twenty-three years ago, the rain had stopped at 8:37 PM. The wave of odd weather around the world instantly cleared. The world was returned to harmony.  
  
But it 9:23.  
  
Out in the distance, the time shun along the side of a building. It was hard to see through the trees, yet the lumenesent lights could be seen from the park bench by the large oak tree. Rather, from under the bench by the large oak tree. And, also, technically, from under an old newspaper. It was laying there, that Zack first realized that his mission had failed.  
  
***  
  
"Darryl, Marrisa," Paige said, "meet Chris."  
  
The young man shook the the hands of the detective and his wife. "Nice to meet you." Then, to Phoebe, "... they... know?"  
  
She nodded. This seemed to set him somewhat at ease and he relaxed a bit.  
  
"Okay, come on," Phoebe told everyone. "Let's eat. We've got lots of food. Good food."  
  
The group allowed themselves to be ushered into the dinning room. With a moment of hesitation, everyone took their places, Darryl and Marrisa sitting in the closest two empty seats. This left an uncomfortable situation - the only open seat was Leo's.  
  
"Well, come on, Chris," Piper said. "Sit down before it gets cold."  
  
Reluctantly, the young man sat down. She added after he had taken his seat, "It's a celebration for you, too. You're promotion. Isn't it?"  
  
He looked at her. "Uh... yeah. How'd you know?"  
  
She smiled. "Good guess."  
  
"Did I miss something there?" Phoebe asked with a small laugh.  
  
"Really?" Paige inquired at the same time. "That's great! But, you can't go back to the future?"  
  
Chris shook his head. "The Elders, they decided it would be best if I just stayed here. Instead of returning to a future that.... well, isn't mine any more."  
  
"Future?" Darryl asked, confused.  
  
"Uh, yeah," came Paige's response. "Chris came from... the future! He came to help us defeat the Titans..."  
  
Phoebe interrupted. "Long story. Let's eat, huh?"  
  
For the rest of the meal, it seemed that everyone skirted anything relating to Leo in anyway - even Wyatt. No one was sure of how to act in this situation. Luckily, things went well. The meal was finished after a little while and from there they retired into the living room. A small discussion, and their guests were on their way.  
  
"Don't tell me that wasn't awkward," Piper said, "because it was. People. Please, I'm okay. I'm happy for my husband."  
  
Phoebe began to comfort her sister but quickly recoiled. "Oh, no."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Uh... Elsie's going to kill me..." she answered. "I've got to go in."  
  
"Now?" Paige whispered. "Phoebe..."  
  
Piper interceeded. "Go, Paige, Chris, orb her."  
  
Phoebe shook her head. "No, no, I'm not that late." She gave a heavey sigh. "Piper... I don't want to leave you here..."  
  
"I'm not alone," she replied. "I've got Paige and Chris." A cry came from upstairs. "And Wyatt. So, go. Go, go. Shoo."  
  
With one last look back, she relented and darted out of the house.  
  
***  
  
"It's about time!" Elsie exclaimed as Phoebe walked into the office.  
  
"I know, I know," she responded. "I'm sorry..."  
  
Her boss gave her a look but instantly let up. "How can I be mad at the star of the hour?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
Elsie laid down a paper in front of her that read: "Goddess of Charity?" with a picture of Phoebe in her Goddess attire. She felt her face turn red. "This is-"  
  
"Great," Elsie interrupted her. "But, you still have a column due. So, off you go, off you busy, busy... bee."  
  
Her boss gave her one more smile before she headed off.  
  
Phoebe sighed and turned to her office. Her secretary had taken the day off and the place looked desolate. With a turn of her key, the door opened and Phoebe walked in. It was all she could do to hold back a scream as she made out the form of a person in the darkness.  
  
"Please," the young man lying on her couch said. "Please, don't scream. I won't hurt you... even if you do scream. But, please, don't."  
  
Quickly, she shut the door behind her, but kept her distance. "Who are you?"  
  
He struggled into a sitting position in order to face her. "I'm L... Zack... Wellington... Halstead..."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Zackary Wellington-Halstead," he repeated weakily. "I'm... I... need to talk to you. I... need to... talk to you."  
  
He gripped his side and rolled off the couch. With a moment's hesitation, Phoebe hit the ground beside him. She could see clearly now the large wound that he had been concieling. "Oh... oh, my..."  
  
Struggling with consciousness, the young man weakily grabbed her arm. "Don't call Chris," he growled and then passed out.  
  
Phoebe scooted away slowly and then grabbed her cell phone. She quickly dialed home and held the phone to her ear as she kept watch over her new "friend".  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Piper!" she exclaimed, realizing it was not the person she wanted. "Uh... Piper, could you get me Paige?"  
  
"Okay..." her sister responded and called out, "Paige!"  
  
Phoebe heared footsteps and then, "Hello?"  
  
"Paige!"  
  
"Phoebe!"  
  
She sighed. "Paige, you need to get here. Now."  
  
"What? Why?" Paige asked.  
  
"Don't... don't ask. Just, come." Then, "and don't tell Piper. Or... Chris."  
  
"Wh-"  
  
Phoebe hung up the phone.  
  
There came a knocking at the office door. "Phoebe? Phoebe? You in there?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. Elsie, I'm in here," she answered.  
  
"I've got something for -"  
  
"Can it, can it wait? I'm really... in the zone for this one," Phoebe lied, hoping her boss would buy it. "I'll, uh, I'll talk you when I lose... the zone..."  
  
There was a moment's pause. "Okay... I'll come back later..."  
  
"Great!" Phoebe exclaimed. "See you soon!" She instantly kidded herself for the stupidest-sounding lie she had ever told. Her attention was soon drawn to the sparkle of blue and white light that appeared in the corner.  
  
"Phoebe, I don't know what could be so urgent that you have to call me and- " She saw the man laying on the floor. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know," her sister answered. "Just heal."  
  
Paige bent down beside him and placed her hands slightly over the young man's wound. It glowed and quickly healed. There was a groan and Zack opened his eyes.  
  
"Paige," he whispered.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
Zack pushed himself into a sitting position, using the couch as a back rest. He leaned his head back for a minute and gripped the bridge of his nose. Then, when he remembered the two sisters were still looking at him, he turned again to face them.  
  
"I'm... sorry..."  
  
"Who are you?" Paige demanded.  
  
"I'm Zack-"  
  
"Wellington-Halstead," Phoebe repeated. "Who *are* you?"  
  
He sighed. "I'm from the future. I'm here to help you, and, believe me, you need it."  
  
"You can from the future to help us?" Paige said skeptically. "Sorry, bub. Already heard that story this week."  
  
Zack laughed. "Chris, right? My God... I can't believe he did-" His sentence was disrupted by a searing pain through his skull. Involuntarily, he shot forward and hit the floor again. Gripping his head, he looked up at them. "He's not here to help you." There was another violent shock. "Don't... don't tell him I'm here..."  
  
Again, he was unconsious.  
  
"What is going on, Phoebe?" Paige demanded.  
  
"I don't know!" she shouted, then, realizing she was at work, began to whisper. "He was here when I got here. He asked for help but not from Chris. How did he know about Chris?"  
  
"Maybe he really is from the future..."  
  
*** 


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Okay, it's shorter than the first part. But when I saw that I actually had reviews, I had to post something. Just enjoy, more will hopefully be up within the next day or so.  
Chapter Two.  
  
"What should we do?" Phoebe asked her sister.  
  
"I don't know!" she responded. "Maybe we should take him back to the manor- "  
  
"He told us not to let Chris know he was here."  
  
Paige gave her a look. "How can we be sure he is... from the future. And why should we do believe what he says? Chris has already helped us and proved to us he's on our side. What did this guy ever do?"  
  
"Paige... I... don't know why, but I think we should trust him," she said. "There's something about him..."  
  
Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. "Phoebe?"  
  
"Hang on Elsie!" she yelled back. "Paige, go. Orb him... somewhere. But don't go home. And don't tell Piper. Or Chris."  
  
Just as the door knob began to turn, there was a flash of blue and white light and Paige and Zack were gone.  
  
***  
  
Zack groaned slightly as he opened his eyes. "Let me just wake up and let this all be a dream," he muttered as he opened his eyes.  
  
The first thing he saw was the redhead sister from the newspaper office. "Did it work?"  
  
"I only wish," he answered and sat up. With a quick look around, he asked, "Where are we?"  
  
"A hotel," Paige answered. "A pretty costly one. I don't suppose you have anything to help pay with."  
  
He shook his head. "Nothing you could use in this time."  
  
"'This time'?"  
  
"From the future. Remember?" Zack answered.  
  
"Ah. Gotcha."  
  
Zack lifted up his shirt and fingered the area in which his wound had previously encompassed. Then he looked up at her. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem. Glad to help. Now, want to answer some questions?"  
  
"You're quick to the chase," he commented.  
  
Paige nodded. "Yeah, I am."  
  
"What do you want to know?" he asked.  
  
She seemed a bit taken back. "You'd answer questions? About the future?"  
  
He shrugged. "Why not. It's different now."  
  
"But Chris-"  
  
"Chris is not a good guy!" Zack shouted and cut her off. "He's..."  
  
"He's what?"  
  
The young man sighed. "I should really be saying this to all three of you," he told her. "Some things I have to say..."  
  
"Paige!" someone shouted from outside.  
  
Zack recoiled and held out a palm. Paige was about to ask what he was doing but decided not to bother. "Hang on, Phoebe!" she yelled back and walked over to the door. She turned the knob and allowed her sister to enter.  
  
"You're okay?" she asked Zack.  
  
He nodded. "I'm fine, but-"  
  
"We need Piper," Paige told Phoebe.  
  
"But you can't let Chris know!" Zack shouted from the bed. "And don't leave him with Wyatt. Don't ever leave him with Wyatt."  
  
The two woman turned to look at him and then turned back to each other. "Okay, you go get Piper," she said. "I'll watch wonder-boy here."  
  
"But Wyatt-"  
  
"Has a nanny," Paige told him. "And he's capable of taking care of himself... in certain situations."  
  
Zack nearly laughed. "Chris isn't just a 'certain situation'," he said. Then, with a whince of pain, "You have no idea..."  
  
"Then tell me," Paige demanded.  
  
"I will. Get Piper."  
  
She sighed and rolled her eyes. Then, with a flash of light, she was off.  
  
Phoebe walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. There was something about this young man... She felt connected to him in some way. "Are you feeling any better?"  
  
He shrugged slightly. "A little."  
  
She nodded then looked into his eyes. "Zack... who are you?"  
  
"A friend," he said. "That's all I can tell you."  
  
"Is that all you can tell me or is it all you *will* tell me?"  
  
Zack grinned. "Both."  
  
"What is going o- Who is this?"  
  
The two of them looked to the other side of the small hotel room to see Paige standing with Piper. She walked over to Phoebe and Zack.  
  
"Who is this?" she asked again.  
  
"I'm-"  
  
"Zack," Paige told her before Zack could begin. "He's supposably from the future."  
  
"I *am* from the future," he said. "And you need help. You don't know how badly you need it."  
  
Piper looked at him and asked, "What do you mean?"  
  
"Chris isn't who you think he is," he answered.  
  
"Well, he hasn't told us much more than you have," Paige retorted. "How do we know *you're* telling the truth about anything?"  
  
Zack swung his legs off the edge of the bed and let his feet rest firmly on the floor. He took a moment to gather himself together before continuing. "What did he tell you? World gone to hell in a handbasket? It never happened. The future is fine... *was* fine."  
  
"Was?"  
  
"Yeah," he said. "Was."  
  
*** 


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Especially those who have reviewed both chapters and stuck with me - you guys rock! Okay. On with ficness.  
  
Chapter Three.  
"What aren't you telling us?" Piper asked.  
  
"Everything that Chris isn't," Zack answered. "But *I* will. I... just don't know where to start."  
  
Paige crossed her arms. "Start with Chris. Who is he?"  
  
He gave a weary chuckle and muttered, "who is he...". Then, serious, he said: "His name is Christopher John Perry - I suppose he told you that one truth. There's really not reason for him to lie. We grew up together here in San Fransisco... Same grade, same classes, same neighborhood. But not the same lives and not the same powers."  
  
"Powers?" Phoebe questioned.  
  
Zack nodded. "Yeah. Powers. Surprise - we're both witches."  
  
"But he can orb," Paige pointed out.  
  
"I can orb," he said. "It has nothing to do with anything."  
  
"Whitelighter's aren't evil," Piper said. "It's beyond them."  
  
He shrugged. "Beyond most. And I never said he was a Whitelighter. I'm not. Piper, your son isn't a Whitelighter. He'll orb. Believe me - do not base a person's goodness by their powers."  
  
"You can orb?"  
  
"Yeah," Zack answered. "My father was a Whitelighter. So was Chris's. But my mom was a witch. Chris got his 'witch genes' from his grandmother and aunt."  
  
Phoebe stopped him. "Wait... you mean his mother wasn't a witch but he still was anyways?"  
  
"Uh-huh. His father was his aunt's Whitelighter. The two of them got too close - married against the Elders' wishes," he explained. "They couldn't do anything about it, really, though. By the time we were born, Whitelighters *could* marry. We have you and Leo to thank for that, Piper."  
  
She gave a little smile.  
  
"Anyways, none of that really explains anything," Zack continued. "See, when Chris was five, his dad was killed by a Darklighter. His mother had no idea how to raise a magical child so her sister moved in with them. My family lived just down the road and it wasn't hard to realize that we were both witch families. From the moment we first met, we were best friends. For eleven years, we were inseperable. Chris was like my brother - more so than my real brothers. But then, when were sixteen, he snapped."  
  
He had to take a moment before continuing. The three sisters with him could see the pain on his face at the thought of whatever he was going to say next.  
  
"It was an accident," he said. "A demon had followed Chris's aunt home. His mother wasn't supposed to be there. But she was. The demon killed her before his aunt could do anything. It didn't matter that she got the demon right after, Chris's mom was gone. I guess he couldn't take it. I don't think I would have been able to take losing my parents. He... fell in with the wrong crowd. And then one day... he just changed. Sure, we'd gotten distant after his mother's death, but I still knew him better than he knew himself. We were still friends. We'd even talked the day before and he'd been fine. The next day... he made his first kill. His aunt."  
  
Phoebe gasped. "His aunt?"  
  
"He blew up the entire house," Zack told them. "Then... he came after my family. But my dad was the only one home. So he killed him - yeah, even though he is was a Whitelighter - and just laid in wait for us. When my brothers and I got home and found Dad... he sprung on us. But three against one was more than enough. He orbed out before we could stop him."  
  
"There were three of you and you couldn't stop him?"  
  
He shook his head. "No. Something had... happened to him. He was never that strong, ever. But in just one day... He was different. He was... evil. He is evil. Mom, Matt and Andy spent three years trying to find him and stop him. It didn't work. Chris killed hundreds. Hundreds of witches and Whitelighters. No one could stop him."  
  
Piper shot up. "Wyatt-"  
  
"He's fine," Zack said. Then, when he saw the looks of question and distrust, "He is. Trust me."  
  
"Was," Paige said. "You never explained the was."  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"He'll kill here," he said. "That's why he opened the time portal. I... tried to stop him, but I couldn't. You saw. He had almost killed me."  
  
"Was, Zack," she repeated.  
  
He sighed. "I... The future will never happen as I know it. Piper, it was you and Leo who - in three years - would go to the Elders to allow them to allow other Whitelighters to marry. But..."  
  
"But what?" Piper asked.  
  
"It's never going to happen," he repeated. "In my time, Leo was never made an Elder. You defeated the Titans easily. But in this time... I don't know what Chris's game is... why didn't he just kill you? But he didn't... not all of you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Piper..."  
  
She looked him in the eyes. "What... do you mean?"  
  
He looked at his feet. "Leo's dead, Piper. Chris killed him."  
  
Her voice wavered, "You're lying."  
  
"I'm not," Zack told her. "You have no idea how much I wish that he was still alive and that I *was* lying. But I'm not, Piper. I'm not."  
  
A tear ran across her face. "Then we've got to kill him."  
  
Though he had previously been very gung-ho about the idea, Zack's face had fallen even more - if if was possible. The memories were now strong after having to tell them about him before he had changed. But then his face turned hard again. "Yes. We do."  
  
***  
  
How long had he been lost?  
  
There was no way to tell time in the dense forests he had wandered in for so long. His watche had stopped ticking his first day there... was it still the first day? He was not hungry or thirsty or even tired... could it have only been a day? He could never tell if the sun had set or risen... The canopy was too think.  
  
It was always dark.  
  
Always.  
  
His hopeless wandering was doing him no good. Even through the dark he could tell he had passed that large oak a thousand times already. Yet, what else could he do? There was no escape. Even if he went in one direction he would still, somehow, come back to that tree.  
  
That tree.  
  
It was a symbol of his hopelessness. A symbol that could never be broken... Or could it?  
  
What else was he going to do? He took a rock and with little thought beforehand, smashed it into the tree's trunk. Again and again and again... Until there was a sudden movement from his right and soon he was on the ground.  
  
Tears poured out. Of course it wouldnt' work. Nothing worked. Nothing. It was hopeless. He was hopless.  
  
"Leo... help me..."  
  
*** 


	4. Chapter Four

A/N: Like that little tease at the end of the last chapter? ::evil grin:: Cliffhangers - I love 'em! Sorry, guys, my loyal reviewers. Just one question before ficness... does anyone know the name of the little dwarf lady? The nanny? I want to use her (I've mentioned her) but I need to know if she has a name before I give her one. So, on with the fic!  
  
Chapter Four.  
  
Zack felt another shot of pain shoot through his head. He groaned. Help, help, help, help, help, help... But there was no way to help. He had to do what had to be done.  
  
"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked. "Maybe Paige-"  
  
"No," he said. "It won't work. People have tried. I'm... I'm okay. Really."  
  
"How do we do this?" Piper asked him. "How do we kill him?"  
  
Paige stepped in. "Potion, spell, powers...?"  
  
"I... I don't know," Zack answered. "I've never had the Power of Three to work with..."  
  
"Okay, then," she said. "Standard plan. We confront him, we blow him up. I'll work on a potion."  
  
Piper told them, "I'm going to take Wyatt over to Darryl's. I don't want him there."  
  
"Okay. And Phoebe, you... watch wonder-boy."  
  
"Don't let him see you making the potion," Zack told Paige. "He might catch on."  
  
She glared at him and then took Piper's hand. They were soon gone in a blur of blue and white. Zack and Phoebe watched them go. Then, she came over and sat in a chair beside the bed.  
  
"What's it like?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The future," she repeated. "What's it like? What about me?"  
  
Zack sighed. "Phoebe. I... I don't want to tell you. Any of you. I don't want you to get your hopes up... or down."  
  
"Well, if everything's changed, it won't matter," she rationalized.  
  
"Somethings are fate. Destiny."  
  
She groaned and then gave him a smile. "Is it that bad?" she joked.  
  
"No! Well... not in my time- Hey." He gave her a look. "Almost had me saying something." He chuckled and muttered to himself. "You always were able to..."  
  
"What?" Phoebe asked.  
  
He shook his head. "Nothing."  
  
"You think we can take Chris?" she asked.  
  
"I think so," Zack answered. "I hope so."  
  
***  
  
Paige and Piper orbed into an empty living room. They looked around, then to each other, and quickly went their separate ways. Piper walked softly to the stairs, still looking around for Chris. Not seeing him, she proceeded quietly up the stairs.  
  
Wyatt was still asleep and his nanny no where in sight. She gently picked him up and held him for a moment.  
  
He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Hey, little guy," she said. "You want to go for a ride? Huh?"  
  
The baby gurgled and smiled.  
  
"Okay," Piper said. "Come on."  
  
She grabbed the diaper bag beside the changing station and walked out of the room. She quietly closed the door and walked back towards the stairs.  
  
"Help... help me, Leo... Help..."  
  
There was a faint voice coming from the stairwell heading up to the attic.  
  
"Chris?"  
  
She looked up the stairs and saw him sitting there on the steps. "Are you, uh, okay?"  
  
Quickly he his eyes seemed to focus and harden. "Yeah," he answered. "I'm fine." Then he saw the bag and baby. "Are you going somewhere?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," she said. "We're going to go over to, uh, Darryl's."  
  
"Paige and Phoebe, too?"  
  
"Paige is hanging around and Phoebe's at work," Piper replied.  
  
He nodded. "Yeah, she is isn't she?"  
  
She told him, "Don't worry, we shouldn't be gone that long. See you when we get home."  
  
"Okay," he said. "Bye Wyatt."  
  
Once she was downstairs, Piper breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good.  
  
***  
  
Once again, Paige was getting to play super-witch. She hadn't seen Chris yet and was hopeful that he wouldn't come downstairs until she was finished. She took out several viles and herbs and then began to mix them in a small cauldron.  
  
"Paige?"  
  
"Yeah, Piper?" she responded.  
  
Piper walked into the kitchen. "Okay, I'm taking Wyatt to Darryl's house. Meet me there when you're done."  
  
"Sure thing," she said. "Get going so I'm not done before you're there."  
  
"Good luck," her sister whispered as she left.  
  
Paige, however, ignored it. She didn't need luck right now. She needed rosemary...  
  
***  
  
"They're coming back," Zack said a moment before Paige and Piper orbed in.  
  
"How'd you kn-" Phoebe started to ask but was cut off by Paige and Piper.  
  
"Okay," Paige said. "I've got a potion and Wyatt's taken care of. Are we ready to do this?"  
  
Zack took a moment and then stood up. "Yeah," he answered. "We're ready."  
  
Piper nodded. "Then let's do it."  
  
Paige took Piper's hand and Zack took Phoebe's hand. In two seperate blurs of blue and white light, they were off to the manor.  
  
Off to confront Chris.  
  
*** 


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Relatively short but, hey! Big event! Is this the end of Chris? And, okay, looking over this, it's not my best work. But I've got regents tests to prepare for and like a million things for homework (Damn Romeo and Juliet...). So, I'll update as often and as well as I can. Also: Any one want to contribute ideas for the little dwarf nanny's name? Alright, Alright... On to ficdom!  
  
Chapter Five.  
  
"Damn you," Chris growled and smacked the side of his head. He was screaming again. Crying for help... How it hurt! It was lucky the kid didn't know what he was doing or he'd be screaming all the time. He would never tire...  
  
He wasn't going to think about it right now. He had to focus on what was at hand. Chris grinned. It was going lovely - despite that momentary pain. Already he had taken out the Whitelighter. Soon, he would kill... the dwarf, most likely. But the baby...  
  
Damn the infernal thing. Would it ever trust him? Even when he was with his mother or aunts, the child never trusted him. It took only a day to gain the trust of the Power of Three. But Wyatt Halliwell could be his end.  
  
It seemed it was always to be that way.  
  
Or atleast he had come the closest to it in the time before. Yet, this time, he wouldn't even try. No, this time Wyatt Halliwell would be his to control. Eventually, when the baby trusted him, he would kill the women... seperately so they couldn't use their 'power of three' to destroy him.  
  
And then the baby would be his.  
  
Nothing could stop him. He laughed aloud. To think that Leo had even tried. His parents had been easy to kill, as well as his brothers. They had put up a good fight. Done their best - especially his brothers. Too bad the aunts hadn't been there. Too bad they had left, thinking the boys could take care of things. If they hadn't, his life may have been much harder. And they had been much too easy to kill on their own.  
  
//Help!//  
  
Chris smacked the side of his head again. Damn him! Would he never stop? He'd go on for hours sometimes before giving up. But it was only periodical... often quiet for months at a time. If only the boy knew how close he was to finding freedom with his shouts.  
  
Again he laughed. So close, boy... so close.  
  
***  
  
They orbed into the hallway by the stairs leading to the attic, but by the time they got there, Chris had recovered and moved to a different part of the house. Slowly the four of them crept across the upstairs and searched every room. After a couple minutes it was clear he was downstairs. They all exchanged looks and silently krept down the stairs.  
  
Zack went last, still feeling a bit weaking and willing his knees not to give out. So far, he was winning. But how long would it last? Who knew how much orbing took out of a guy? Now at the bottom of the stairs, they stopped to plot.  
  
"Okay, Paige," Piper said. "You go in first. We'll come in around the other side of the living room."  
  
She nodded and walked in.  
  
"Hey, Chris," she said. "Watcha doing?"  
  
At this point, he was sitting on the couch watching television. His previous thoughts were abandoned for a moment as he was absorbed in the antics and adventures of the Crocodile Hunter.  
  
He turned his head around to see her standing behind him. "Oh, nothing," Chris answered. "Just watching this guy... He's a riot!"  
  
She laughed uneasily.  
  
"Something wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, Chris, there is," Piper said as the three of them entered from the other side of the room. Paige walked over to the entrance she had come through to block his escape. Phoebe soon joined her.  
  
Then, he saw him.  
  
"Leo," Chris growled.  
  
"Yeah," Zack replied. "You can't get rid of me as easy as Wy- Matt and Andy."  
  
The other young man grinned. "You haven't told them."  
  
The three woman looked to Zack, expecting him to say something. Give them another revelation. And at that moment Chris struck. He dashed into Phoebe and Paige, knocking them both down and tearing for the door. Zack and Piper jumped and ran after him.  
  
But in an instant he was still and turned around.  
  
"Leo?" he asked in a small, weak voice. "Help... Please, Leo... Help me."  
  
It was clearly not the same person as before. The voice was so... helpless and his eyes were unfocused and odd. There was something about him that had changed. Something that was the same as long before, or rather, long into the future.  
  
Before he had changed.  
  
Later, he would never know why he stopped her. Perhaps the only hope for the future lay in the death of Chris Perry. But at that moment, Zack couldn't let her do it. He had seen his friend - his brother! - in this evil... creature.  
  
The real Chris was still in there somewhere. Those cries for help he had been tortured with for the past three years were really coming from Chris. He was still in there!  
  
"Piper! Don't!" he shouted and pushed her down.  
  
He looked back at Chris, expecting to still see his friend. But instead, it was 'the creature' again. The eyes were cold and hard and the face ridged. He looked at Zack and grinned evily. And Zack realized, he had just allowed it to escape. It wouldn't come back.  
  
It was going to kill. And he had to deal with a very angry Power of Three now.  
  
//Please be in there still, Chris// he thought. //Please.//  
  
*** 


	6. Chapter Six

A/N: Okay, guys, I'm out of town for four days without a compture ::sob:: So, I'm leaving you with this Chapter Six. I've begun 7 and it'll be up in... five to six days. Don't lose intrest okay? I'll try and make it a good chapter!  
  
Chapter Six.  
  
A chunk of plaster and wood blew apart above his head as Zack stood terrified with his back against the wall. Atleast Piper wasn't actually aiming for him. That was a good sign. She wasn't trying to kill him... not yet.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for?!" she demanded.  
  
Zack attempted to answer but she blew up another part of wall next to him.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because that was Chris!" he shouted before she could blow anything else up.  
  
Paige walked up to him and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Have you gone crazy? Of course it was Chris! Who else would it be?!"  
  
"No," he said quietly. "It was really Chris."  
  
She scoffed. "You said it yourself, your friend is gone."  
  
"But I saw him!" Zack shouted. "I saw him in that body. It wasn't for long, but it was there. Paige, he asked for my help. He-"  
  
"Was trying to get to you!" she yelled. "And he did."  
  
There was nothing he could say. It was true, Chris has gotten to him. He had allowed him to escape into the world where they would likely never find him again. But if Chris was still in there, he couldn't kill him. He just couldn't.  
  
"I know it was him," he told them all. "I know it was him. I... I can hear him sometimes. He's shouting for help. But I can't do anything. And it hurts so much... I want to help him but I just can't do it."  
  
"Those attacks," Phoebe said.  
  
He nodded. "I'm supposed to help him. But I can't. And it just hurts so much..." Tears welled in his eyes. "I'm sorry I let him get away," he told them. "But I couldn't let you kill him. Not if... not if Chris still has a chance."  
  
Zack wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.  
  
Then, looking to the sisters, he said, "I'm sorry. I won't bother you again. This is my fight alone now. I shouldn't have dragged you into it. It isn't worth losing you again."  
  
"Phoebe, stop him-"  
  
But it was too late. Zack disappeared in a blur of blue and white light.  
  
***  
  
"Any luck?" Piper asked as she bounced her son on her hip walking into the attic.  
  
Paige threw down the scrying crystal in aggitation. They had been trying to locate Zack or Chris for three hours. Neither one of them had being located. "No," she responded harshly. "Not with either of them."  
  
She sighed. "So basically we've got a witch killing demon on the loose and a renagade Whiteligher."  
  
"He's not actually a Whiteligh-" Phoebe began but at the looks from her sisters, stopped. "Sorry," she said quickly.  
  
Piper handed Wyatt to Phoebe and went over to flip through the Book of Shadows. Slightly rocking the baby, she looked to her sister. "What are you looking for?"  
  
Again, Piper sighed. "Zack said that the 'real' Chris was still in there," she said. "Maybe the Book can help us figure out what he meant."  
  
"Can the Book tell us why Chris was calling him Leo?" Paige demanded. "What is he hiding from us? Why is he hiding it from us?"  
  
"No," she asnwered. "The Book can't. That's why you need to find him... them. Whichever."  
  
Her youngest sister huffed and continued her scrying attempts. The crystal just spun around, never making a mark. She gave up her attempts to finding Chris and tried Zack again. The crystal spun several times and then landed directly on the Golden Gate Bridge.  
  
"Hey! I found him!" Paige yelled.  
  
"Chris?" Piper asked.  
  
She shook her head. "Zack."  
  
"Where?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Golden Gate Bridge," she answered.  
  
There was a poof of green light and the dwarf nanny walked over to Phoebe. "Honestly," she said. "Running in and out of this place... what kind of growing enviroment is this for a young child?"  
  
Piper glared at the dwarf and then sighed as she took Wyatt from Phoebe and headed downstairs. "Come on," she said. "Let's go. Paige, orb."  
  
***  
  
"You shouldn't have come."  
  
The three sisters stood only a few yards from the young man. He kept his back to them, staring at the bridge ahead. Zack saw no reason to face them. If they wanted to kill him now, they could. You can't exactly stop the Power of Three.  
  
"We want answers, Zack," Phoebe said. "Leo... Zack. Who ever you are."  
  
"I told you who I am," he responded, still looking ahead at the bridge. "I'm a friend. Whether you believe it or not... I can't help that."  
  
Someone took a step forward. He spun around to face t hem. "Look. I told you to stay out of this. I let him come here, it's my job to stop him. I will. Just... go away."  
  
"You're telling the Power of Three to 'go away'?"  
  
"Yes!" Zack shouted. "I am! Go-Away!"  
  
Then, he attempted to take off running. Piper sighed and raised her hands. She wasn't supposed to be able to freeze witches, but... There was a 'sing' sound and Zack stopped dead in his tracks. "Not a real Whitelighter?" she jested her sister.  
  
The three sisters walked over to the frozen Zack. They exchanged looks and then Piper unfroze the boy's head.  
  
"Why didn't I just orb," he muttered.  
  
"Hey! Want me to freeze you again?" Piper threatened.  
  
He looked like he would say something, but held his tongue. "Look, let me go," he said. "I shouldn't have come to you in the first place. Let me take care of my mistake."  
  
"That's the mistake?!" Paige exclaimed. "What about letting Chirs get away?"  
  
"I couldn't let you kill him," he repeated. "If Glenn were take over by some evil force, would you so easily kill him?"  
  
She recoiled. "How do you know about Glenn?"  
  
Zack's face fell as he attempted to cover up the mistake. But the cat was out. "Look," he said. "Just let me go."  
  
"No," Piper said.  
  
He shrugged. The freeze had lifted quickly. "You can freeze me again," he told her. "It won't do any good. Please, don't come after me."  
  
Zack began walking away from the sisters towards the street.  
  
"Wait!" Piper shouted as he left. "I have one question."  
  
He stopped and turned to face her.  
  
"Why did he call you Leo?"  
  
"It's my name," Zack answered. "Leo Zackary, Jr.... I was named after my father." He gave her one last glance and then turned back around.  
  
Paige started after him.  
  
"Paige," Piper said.  
  
"We can't just let him leave!" she shouted.  
  
"I... think we have to," Piper told her sister.  
  
Her sister made to move after him but hung back. Exasperated, she walked off. Phoebe followed her, unintentionally giving Piper a moment alone.  
  
A tear streamed down her check.  
  
"Leo..."  
  
*** 


	7. Chapter Seven

A/N: The long awaited Chapter Seven. I hoped that this fic would not suffer the fate of all my others - my boredome. But, I decided that I like this fic way to much to not continue it and after vigiourus efforts, here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it, please review. That gives me hope that this fic has a better destiny than my other hopless attempts at fanfiction. Thanks, and enjoy!  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
It was a crummy old necklace that Paige would have pawned off within the next year or so anyways. So why did Zack feel so bad? He slid the necklace across the counter to the pawnshop owner.  
  
"Fifty bucks, take it or leave it," the pawnshop owner grumbled.  
  
"Seventy five," Zack said. "Come on, it's good merchandise."  
  
He sighed. "Look kid, business is business. I can't give you more than fifty." The man handed him five ten-dollar bills. "And... here." He took an old jacket off the wall behind him. "Take this. Go to a shelter, okay? Get some rest... some food."  
  
The man put the necklace in a lockbox under his desk.  
  
"And I won't tell the cops who I got this from," he added. "Go on. Take care of yourself."  
  
What a guy, he thought. He was going to report it as stolen. And Zack still got fifty bucks and a jacket.  
  
"I can't let you do this," he said. "You're down and out fifty bucks... and whatever this jacket is worth. Please, I'll take the necklace back and take off."  
  
"Get out of here kid," the man repeated. "Go on."  
  
Reluctantly, he nodded, unable to word his thanks. With a jingle of the bell hooked to the front door, Zack left the shop and the kind man behind.  
  
It was good advice - go to a shelter. Where else was he going to go? He had fifty bucks, a jacket, a torn shirt and a reoccurring fit of physical pain. And they would feed him and let him sleep there... And he could disappear.  
  
Zack flipped the collar of the jacket up until they covered his ears. Sure, it wasn't much of a disguise, but it would do for now. He'd hide his face, sneak around. He'd keep on top of everything. Always make sure he was up to date on the latest mystic news.  
  
And maybe, he'd get lucky.  
  
Maybe, Chris would come to him.  
  
***  
  
Three Months Later...  
  
***  
  
"Run!" a young teenage boy shouted and ran down the alley. "Quick! It's the cops!"  
  
Zack was vaguely aware of several people running past him. He opened his eyes to see what was going on, but when they opened they were met with a bright blazing light. Someone gave him a rough kick.  
  
"Get up!" the man growled.  
  
He groaned in response and shifted his position in response. There was another kick and then a strong grip on the scruff of his neck. Zack came to his feet and stared through the darkness at the two cops standing in front of him.  
  
"Come on, Jeff," one said. "You know he didn't have anything to do with this."  
  
The other one, larger and meaner, smirked. "I know nothing of the thing. Besides, gotta clear the garbage off the street."  
  
The other officer looked unsure but didn't say anything else. Zack sighed and for a moment considered making a break for it. But it was useless. He was too tired. He hadn't eaten in days nor had he slept. He'd been hearing Chris scream all night for three days straight. Sleep was, for him, just a distant memory. And his powers were suffering from this period of sleeplessness.  
  
Zack let the officer 'Jeff' drag him to the squad car. He went with no resistance and allowed them to force him in the backseat. He sank into the cushioned interior. It was the most comfortable place he had been since he'd left the shelter...  
  
"Come, on, Jeff," the other cop said again. "He's real messed up. Leave him alone."  
  
He responded by slamming the car door.  
  
The realization of what was happening finally dawned on him. Zack realized that jail meant he would never find Chris. He'd never stop him...  
  
***  
  
"Hey, dwarf!"  
  
"Hey, kid," the short man grumbled back, in a heavy Bronx accent nonetheless. "What'd'ya want?"  
  
Zack fell to one knee so he was relatively the same height as the dwarf. "How many have been killed?"  
  
The dwarf grunted in response. "Don't know what you're talking about."  
  
He attempted to walk away but Zack grabbed him by his shoulder. "I mean it," he said. "Chris Perry - how many witches has he killed."  
  
His eyes grew wide and he glanced around quickly. "You stupid or something!" he growled under his breath. "We're out in the real world!"  
  
Grabbing Zack's hand, he took off down an alley or two before stopping in front of an old tennant building. They walked in, Zack very cautiously. The dwarf guided him through the first floor and into an office that read: Lanlorde.  
  
"Shouldn't it be Land-Lord?" the boy inquired.  
  
"You run this joint, or me?" the dwarf asked. "And no, it shouldn't. It's my name. Nifty little name, ain't it?"  
  
He shrugged in response. "Yeah, guess so."  
  
Lanlorde gave him a rueful look as they walked in. He closed the door. "Look," he said. "What do you want?"  
  
"Just the news," Zack answered.  
  
"Get a paper," the dwarf replied.  
  
"I tried to find a Daily Prophet, but, unfortunately, I don't own an owl," he said sarcastically.  
  
"Now listen here wise guy-"  
  
Zack sighed. "Look. What's gone down lately." Then as a sarcastic afterthought, "Please."  
  
"Nothing big," Lanlorde answered after a little while. "A few witches killed here and there. My third cousin Danoto was killed - probably a warlock (but who really cares?) and a leprechaun or two were killed."  
  
"The witches," the young man asked, "who killed them?"  
  
The dwarf shrugged.  
  
"Hey!" he shouted. "This is important!"  
  
"Look, kid, I can't tell you what I don't know."  
  
Zack sighed. He wasn't going to get anything further from this creature. Quite dejected, he began to walk out of the room without another word. Lanlorde watched him go. In a moment of uncharacteristic weakness, he called out, "You can go see Talisan. He might no something."  
  
Zack turned around. "Talisan? Where can I find him?"  
  
***  
  
The car stopped outside the police station and Zack knew that this was it. Maybe he could try something. Anything. Likely they'd never tried to arrest a witch before. If he could muster up enough energy to use one of is powers...  
  
If he could just orb...  
  
"Let's go, kid," officer Jeff said gruffly as Zack slid slowly out of the car. "Come on, we don't got all day."  
  
Zack didn't struggle. He didn't resist. There wasn't enough energy in him to even speak right now. In truth, he was surprised he was even still awake. Of course, he had no doubt that if he attempted to sleep he'd just hear the screams again. There was no point in sleeping.  
  
"What's this Van Zandt?" a man asked the younger officer as Jeff dragged Zack to the holding area.  
  
"Some kid we picked up," he answered sheepishly. "Found him sleeping on the ground... Jeff thinks he's got something to do with that robbery call we got. I don't know..."  
  
Zack didn't hear anything after that. He dragged out of hearing range and tossed into a small holding cell. There was a bed, but that was it. He sighed. "Best accommodations I've had in a while," he managed to mutter to himself before collapsing on the bed.  
  
And for the first time in days, he slept. 


	8. Chapter Eight

A/N: ::goggles:: My God, can it be? It is! An eighth chapter for Future Tense. ::dies of shock:: I haven't updated since ... August. Whoa. So, I dont know if anyone still remembers this fic, but I *am* continuing it. I'm still called to finish the fic despite my lenghty absence.  
  
And, on a completely random note, I wrote this in summer of 2003... In September, when I went to school, I met our new resident state trooper... his name is Mr. Van Zandt. I found that a weird coinscidence. But, now, on with fic!  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
When he awoke, Zack wasn't much more rested than before. But, he had restored some energy. That was a good sign. Maybe he'd be able to bust out of here in the next day or two. Provided he wasn't released. Really, he hadn't done anything wrong. That Van Zandt officer knew the truth. However, it did seem that his partner has much more influence than him. That wasn't an advantage.  
  
"You awake, kid?" someone said through the small barred opening in the door.  
  
"Yeah," Zack answered in a low, somewhat raspy voice. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. I'm awake."  
  
The door unlocked. "Good," the officer said. "Come on. You're meeting with a detective."  
  
"Why?" he asked but received no answer. He sighed. Had he really expected on?  
  
The officer led him, in hand cuffs, through the precent to a desk where a suit-clad detective sat. He was familiar to Zack, but fatigue was taking their toll on his memory. The officer told him to sit in a chair infront of the desk.  
  
"Detective Morris," he said. "Here's the kid from last night."  
  
"Thanks, Simms," the detective said.  
  
Zack's eyes widened. Morris? It was Darryl!  
  
"So, kid," Darryl said, looking at him. "What are you? A runaway?"  
  
He slouched in his chair with a soft sigh. He may remember Darryl, but Darryl didn't remember him.  
  
"You could say that."  
  
Darryl gave a small laugh. "Come on. What's your name atleast?"  
  
"Zackary Wellington-Halstead," he lied. He was getting fairly good at it. Half the things he had said in the past few months had been lies.  
  
"Okay... that's a start."  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"Come on, son, give me someone to call," Darryl said. "They're gonna release you, you didn't do anything. But they're not going to just release you. How old are you? And don't say over eighteen. You're not."  
  
"I'm am, too. I'm nine- yeah," he said. "Actually... I think I'm seventeen."  
  
"How long you been on the streets?"  
  
Again, Zack shrugged. "I don't know. Three months? Four?"  
  
"If I check the missing persons ads am I going to find you?" he asked.  
  
"No," he told Darryl. "You won't. I don't think they realized I was underage..."  
  
"Who?" Darryl asked.  
  
Zack looked at him. "They didn't come to you?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"It doesn't matter," Zack answered. "If you're letting me out, let me out."  
  
"Someone's gotta come get you," Darryl told him. "That's how it works. And you admitted you were underage."  
  
Stupid thing to do, too, Zack told himself with a mental kick.  
  
"So call Social Services if you have to," he grumbled somewhat angrily and instantly regretted it. "Look, I don't have anywhere to go. There is no one for you to call. I'm just... I'm tired."  
  
Darryl relented. "Fine," he said. "I'll call someone down. But you'll just run again, won't you?"  
  
He shrugged. "Probably."  
  
"Ken!" Darryl called to an officer making his way through the desks. "Take this kid back to lock-up, okay?"  
  
The officer nodded and walked over.  
  
Zack looked back at Darryl as he was led back towards his little holding cell. If only you knew who I was... he thought with a sigh. And now you never will. You'll never know...  
  
***  
  
"I swear this kid's crazy," he heard someone say as they walked past his holding cell.  
  
Zack walked over to the door and peered out. There were two officers, basically dragging someone across the floor. The person was screaming loudly in protest and just screaming in general.  
  
They shoved him into the holding cell next to him and slammed the door closed. But the guy kept screaming.  
  
Great, Zack thought. No sleep tonight...  
  
"Leo..." he heard the voice, no soft, whimper.  
  
His ears perked up.  
  
"Leo... help me... please," the person next to him cried. "Please Leo..."  
  
"Ch-Chirs?"  
  
There was silence. "Leo...?"  
  
Zack paled. "Jeeze... Officer!" he shouted. "Officers! Quick!"  
  
It took a moment but someone came over and looked through the barred opening. "What? You just went fifteen minutes ago."  
  
"I need Detective Morris," he told him. "Quick."  
  
The officer gave him a look.   
  
"Please," he pleaded. "Please. It's important."  
  
He gave him another look but walked over to the phone on the wall.  
  
What was he doing? Zack wasn't sure. He was basically condemning Chris to death by Charmed Ones. They would come, get Chris, and they'd kill him. But, the way he was... Obviously this wasn't the Chris they had known. This was someone else. This was Chris, in pain. Chris free.  
  
Ten minutes later, Darryl stood outside of Zack's cell. "You wanted to see me?"  
  
"It's Chris," he told him.  
  
Darryl's eyes widened. "What?"  
  
"The Charmed One's Chris," he answered. "In the next cell."  
  
"That maniac kill-"  
  
Zack whinced. "He's not a murder. He was... possessed. He's still in there. He's fighting. And by the way that Chris over there looks, he's winning."  
  
"Who are you?" Darryl demanded.  
  
"Zackary Wellington-Halstead," Zack replied. "Darryl... get him out of here. He can't be here... they'll lock him up or something. He's not crazy. He needs help."  
  
"Look I can't just do whatever."  
  
He sighed. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. Forget it. I'll do it."  
  
"What?" Darryl asked.  
  
"Best if you didn't know," Zack told him. "Nevermind. Sorry to bother you."  
  
Reluctantly the detective left. It was a good thing, too.  
  
Darryl didn't need to be involved in a jailbreak.  
  
****  
  
Well... anyone still with me?  
  
Asarielle - Keeping you on your toes. As Zack says... he's gotten good at lying. Has anything he's said been true at all?   
  
A. Windsor - I don't really know what that was either with the dwarf. I'm working on a set of flashbacks that will probably span the rest of the fic so... I'm just trying something new. I may get rid of it later on... I don't know... just playing with the story.   
  
Piper Jnr - We'll see how addictive. We'll see if anyone comes back to this story after my unreliability.   
  
Everyone I confused... I never said I was sane myself. Lol. We'll see where this is going. I'm not sure myself. Anyone want to suggest anything, I'm a pretty open person. I like ideas... But, anyways... hope you enjoyed Ch. Eight... there *will* be a Ch. Nine soon. I swear. Honest! 


End file.
